Mogadishu – Since 2006, IOM, the United Nations Migration Agency, has been providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to migrants and mobile populations in Somalia – including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host community members. With its Head Office located in Mogadishu, IOM has a strong presence in all regions of Somalia through a multitude of projects implemented by 289 staff.

This week (30/01) IOM participated in a high-level event marking the release of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which seeks USD 1.5 billion to address the needs of 5.4 million Somalis. The Recovery and Resilience Framework (RRF) outlining the way forward for recovery and resilience was also presented.

The event was hosted by the Federal Government of Somalia and attended by senior dignitaries from the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank. Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, in his opening remarks, reaffirmed his government’s commitment in moving Somalia from crisis to recovery.

The 2018 RRF is based on the Drought Impact Needs Assessment which analyses the root causes and impacts of recurrent droughts. It is developed in line with the priorities of the National Development and aligned with the 2018 HRP. The Framework recommends medium- to long-term options to finance and implement recovery interventions.

The RRF also defines policy measures required to support resilience and recovery as well as proposing institutional arrangements to manage, implement and monitor recovery.

These recommendations will be applied in parallel to and in complementarity with humanitarian relief.

The 2017 drought led to the displacement of more than 1 million Somalis, adding to the nearly 1.1 million previously displaced. Due to the commendable work by Somali authorities who led the drought response, the provision of nearly USD 1.3 billion by the international community, and the humanitarian actors who were on the ground to provide life-saving assistance, famine was averted. But now, one year later, continued delivery of urgent humanitarian relief is even more vital. The critical humanitarian needs require the international community to sustain its commitment.

“In 2018, IOM will continue to provide frontline emergency response in the sectors of Health, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Shelter, Camp Coordination and Camp Management and displacement tracking, as well as multi-sectoral returns assistance to stranded Somali Nationals,” noted Dyane Epstein, IOM Somalia Chief of Mission. “As much as possible, IOM emergency teams will work with partners and the government to ensure that emergency response is integrated, timely and accountable.”

IOM’s Consolidated Appeal for Emergency Programming in Somalia was developed in line with the 2018 HRP, as well as the migration priorities of IOM, namely the special needs of internally displaced Somalis and returning populations.

IOM has seven IOM field offices as well as the Nairobi support office in Kenya. IOM has also scaled up its operations and capacities within Somalia in response to the recent drought and maintains a strong portfolio of multi-sector humanitarian interventions.